Next Steps in the Gulf of Mexico Response to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Recommendations July 7-8, 2004 Annenberg Presidential Conference Center Texas A&M University College Station, Texas |
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| Recommendations from the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy will influence and advise the national direction of marine research, outreach and education for years, if not decades, to come. This conference brought together academics, industry representatives and government agency representatives to begin developing that research agenda and establishing a consortium of research entities that will be involved in strategizing funding for implementation. For recommendations to be effective it is essential that concrete, explicit and realistic plans be developed to move from recommendations to action. As will be seen in the presentation that follows, these two days resulted in the “Next Step” — one of moving toward a unified research agenda for the Gulf of Mexico region. |
Summary |
COLLEGE STATION, TX — About 130 representatives from marine industry, academia and government met in College Station Wednesday and Thursday (July 7 and 8) to plan the next steps for the Gulf of Mexico in response to recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. This was the first regional meeting convened in the wake of the commission’s report, which is in the comment stage and is scheduled to go to President Bush later this month. The White House will have 90 days to respond to the report. At the “Next Steps in the Gulf of Mexico” conference, co-hosted by the Texas Sea Grant College Program, participants discussed research priorities, funding sources, administration and management, and ecosystem-based and regional approaches in the context of issues including the oceans and human health, biodiversity, watersheds and sediment management, human impacts, and policy, economics and social science. “The United States is an ocean nation,” Scott Rayder, Chief of Staff to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reminded conference participants. “Our coastal zone is the largest in the world. “By promoting a ‘regionalization’ approach, the commission recognizes the unique challenges and pressures that are faced by each one,” he said. “The Gulf of Mexico faces some of the most difficult challenges and pressures of any of the regions defined by the commission.” Two that he noted are the hypoxia “dead zone” off the Louisiana and Texas coasts, an area with little or no oxygen in the water thought to be caused by the drainage of nutrients from agricultural fertilizers from the more than 30 states in the Mississippi River watershed, and the fact that the majority of the United States’ offshore oil and gas production takes place in the western and central Gulf of Mexico. Robert Twilley of Louisiana State University, who led a discussion group on human impacts, described one of these challenges as an opportunity. “We are a region that should be a leader in developing ideas related to sustainable development,” he said. “We are a region that has a national agenda related to its economic development. “Yes, we do have a huge economic engine that resides in our coastal region, and we can build programs that demonstrate how environmental stewardship can be established within the context of that economic engine.” Many of the speakers described the importance of ocean education at all levels. “All across the report we talk about the need to increase the awareness of the public to coastal issues,” said Paul L. Kelly, Senior Vice President of Rowan Companies and a member of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The conference discussions also cited as priorities improving science education, including ocean science, in the public schools; increasing the number of students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate science programs; and adult continuing education efforts. The need for science education is tied to another of the report’s emphases: the strengthening of infrastructure for data collection and management, including the implementation of a national ocean observing system, all supporting a scientific basis for administrative decision-making. The report also recommends the creation of a White House-level National Ocean Council. Mandated by the Oceans Act of 2000, authorized by Congress and appointed by the President, the 16-member commission began its study in 2001. The preliminary report, which was released to state governors for comment in April, calls for the President and Congress to establish a new national ocean policy that balances use with sustainability, is based on sound science and educational excellence, and moves toward an ecosystem-based management approach. Recommendations in the report are expected to influence the national direction of marine research, outreach and education for years, possibly decades, to come. The last comprehensive review of the nation’s ocean policy was conducted 35 years ago by the Stratton Commission. Robert Stickney, director of Texas Sea Grant, said the recommendations from the Gulf of Mexico conference will be communicated to NOAA and the members of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. “We should have called this (conference) ‘First Steps,’ because there are many more to come,” he said. Other recommendations from the two-day meeting ranged from the development of biodiversity baselines and research on the use of contaminated sediments to the creation of an ocean science “trust fund” and proposing an agreement among the five state governors to implement Gulf-wide ecosystem management practices. Also as a result of the conference, two workshops are being planned for 2005, one that will focus on oceans and human health in the Gulf of Mexico and another that will bring together scientists and managers to discuss Gulf policy, economics and social sciences. “Next Steps” was co-sponsored by the Texas A&M University College of Geosciences, Department of Oceanography, College of Engineering, Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the Provost’s Office and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Proceedings from the conference, including summaries of the recommendations from the breakout sessions, will be available soon at the conference’s web site at nextsteps.tamu.edu. — Cindie Powell Release distributed July 9, 2004 |
Agenda |
7 July Welcome Dr. Robert Stickney, Moderator and Director, Texas Sea Grant College Program Dr. David Prior, Provost, Texas A&M University Dr. Leo Sayavedra, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, The Texas A&M University System Dr. Mary Jo Richardson, Interim Dean, Texas A&M University College of Geosciences Summary of recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Paul Kelly, Senior Vice President, Rowan Companies Frank Muller-Karger, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida Questions - Video You will need Real Player to watch the video Scott Rayder, Chief of Staff to Administrator, Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Topical Presentations Ocean Observing — Dr. Worth Nowlin, Texas A&M University Biodiversity — Dr. Gil Rowe, Texas A&M University at Galveston Oceans and Human Health — Dr. Allen Dearry, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health Watersheds and Sediment Management — Dr. Chip Groat, Director, U.S. Geological Survey Policy, Economics and Social Sciences — Dr. Michael Glantz, National Center for Atmospheric Research Industry — Walter Cruickshank, Minerals Management Human Impacts — Margaret Cavanaugh, Deputy Assistant Director, Directorate for Geosciences, National Science Foundation Organization of breakout sessions Reception and student poster session 8 July Breakout sessions convene Biodiversity — Dr. Roger Zimmerman, NOAA Fisheries Laboratory, Galveston Ocean and Human Health — Dr. Darrell Jay Grimes, Provost, The University of Southern Mississippi Watersheds Texasand Sediment Management — Dr. Virginia Burkett, Wetlands Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey Policy, Economics and Social Sciences — Dr. Arnold Vedlitz, Texas A&M University Human Impacts — Dr. Robert Twilley, Louisiana State University Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute Reports from breakout group leaders Final discussion and comments Steering Committee Members Adjourn |